Witnesses said at least four people were shot by a gunman behind the Smith County Courthouse in Tyler Thursday afternoon. A courthouse worker said she saw two sheriff's deputies wounded.
"When I heard that popping ... I ran over there and I saw this guy with this automatic weapon already starting shooting, and two deputies were down," said Margo Adkins, who works at the county clerk's office. "One was holding his hand up saying, 'Please don't shoot. Stop shooting,' and I saw him shoot him again"
Adkins said the gunman appeared to be using an automatic assault rifle.
Another clerk's office employee, Kirk Krisle, said he saw four persons who had been hit by what sounded like automatic weapons fire.
Attorney Chuck Cowan said he saw a Smith County bailiff being carried to an FBI vehicle.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Johhn Walker said at least three people were shot by the gunman. "He had a rifle, and he was shooting at the back of the courthouse and he shot some glass out, shot a deputy sheriff there and two other civilians," Walker said. He said an off-duty Tyler police officer shot the gunman, who got in a pickup truck and drove away. Walker said he believed the suspect was killed but couldn't say for certain.
Television footage showed at least one person lying on the courthouse steps. A spokeswoman at the East Texas Medical Center said wounded people have been admitted but didn't have more details.
"From what I understand at this moment, there was a guy upset about a court case going on, possibly a paternity case," Walker said.
KLTV-TV reports that a suspect was taken into custody on a highway north of Tyler.
Tyler is about 95 miles east of Dallas.
